I don't know if it has been mentioned, but before you embark on a 4x4 trip, acquaint yourself with the ins and outs of your vehicle and equipment. A colleague of mine bought a fancy 4x4 and bush trailer fitted with all the gadgets including a hi-lift jack. The standard lift was left behind but when he got a flat tyre, he found out that there was no hi-lift jacking points on his vehicle.

Orange wrote:....................All the vehicles mentioned in this thread have their merits, and their negatives..............But there is one thing everyone who has ever been on a 4x4 trail will agree with, no matter what vehicle they drive.The weakest link in any vehicle is the one behind the steering wheel. The bottom line is that no matter what you have, both in vehicle and add on terms, YOU are going to be the determining factor as to what they vehicle can do, how reliable it will be, how fuel efficient it will be. !

I fully agree with this statement and don't think there is a bad vehicle out there, unfortunately most 4x4s sold are in mall crawler kit and will need some customising to get it to your standard (it also keeps guys like me in business ) I would tackle most overland trips with any of the popular brands and enjoy an uneventful trip if the vehicle has been customised for my requirements, some would be more comfortable and others would be more expensive on fuel while the rest have their own shortcomings and strong points.

ndloti wrote:One enquiry , 10 different opinions on makes , each one from the owner of a different make ...

Close but not quite I drive a pajero at the moment and know them inside out, my previous 4x4 was a serious land rover but like Scips I have moved on. That is not to say that land rover is a bad 4x4 just that for me the lack of space in front and the bumpy ride from the hard suspension are points I would rather keep in the fond memories category and like the army days great to talk about but not to relive again

Scipio wrote:Hey Ndloti, I own a Jeep,

Eish Scips, sorry to hear about your bad luck. Chin up buddy, things might work out better this year

In the end the one important common factor is training. Knowing your vehicle and how to get the most from it in an environmentally friendly way is a sure way to enjoy it to its fullest. These vehicles are not there for their 0 - 100 time or the shiny bling of a German luxury sedan but as a tool to get to those remote bits of heaven right here on earth, those magic spots that only a few folks get to experience first hand

Eish Scips, sorry to hear about your bad luck. Chin up buddy, things might work out better this year

Hey Sparks, on the cards before we go to KTP over Big Bertha in October,

ARB Bullbar with Warn 12000 LBS. (To pull the Japanese stuff out of trouble)Another 3 Inches lift. (Well, just being vein, I have 2 inches on other Jeeps already)OME Suspension mod. (Part of above)BFG Mud terrains. Jeep Longrange tank, increasing to 177 Litres (The gal gets thirsty, especially with SO driving) Built in Beer cooler(For those day visits into Kruger)

DrPhil wrote:Limp mode is when a landy onboard computer goes mad and thinks that there is something wrong. It then limits the landy to drive only fast enough to drive onto a flatbed to be taken to service centre. There are some forums that have threads on how to reset the comp to get the landy out of limp mode. Last time I saw it was when the gearbox got water on top and some wire got wet. So driving in the rain can get a landy into limp mode. I have never seen defenders go into limp mode though. Only freelanders and disco's.

Hmmm. Yah well ... That's what I said - the disco is a luxury vehicle , and should really stay inside its garage on wet nights

A Defender will take you anywhere , anytime . And if you wear wellies , then a leaking floorboard shouldn't bother you too much

Tread softly , and let your departure not be spoiled by the damage of your arrival

Looking at either a Fortuna 3 D4D or Pajero Sport. Any thoughts from those who drive these vehicles. Fuel consumption etc etc.....

Thanks

New or second hand?

Friend on mine just bought the Pajero Sport (go Google the translation of Pajero from Spanish to English for a giggle), and while it is indeed a really nice vehicle, I personally wouldn't consider it to be R40k more vehicle than the Fortuner. Personally, I'd consider the ownership experience of the Fortuner to be a better one over the lifespan of the vehicle, and wouldn't even give the Pajero the time of day. Also, as my brother in law put it before buying a Fortuner, every second a**hole has one, and they can't all be wrong (sales figures recently released show the Fortuner by FAR outstrips the Pajero Sport in sales - which is somewhat telling).

But as Sparks says, each vehicle will have their fans. And as much as we can tell you our favourites are, ultimately you need to decide what's best for you (especially if you're buying new - R400k decisions need to be carefully considered in accordance with what you like and dislike), and to that end I'd advise driving both and then carefully comparing which one is the better one for you, based on your own preferences.

Also, to go with what Picnic says, have you considered a double cab with canopy? Not everyone's cup of tea, but you get much the same and pay somewhat less...

We have hired a 2.5d4d toyota 4x4 which was okay in sand,and feul consumption was 10.5 average Tar(140kmh for a distance of 520km) gravel(50kmh for a distance of 600km)and sand(40kmh 4x4 for a distance of 50km) Power was a bit on the down side,but overall I could live with it. Lucky you have low range.

We have hired a 2.5d4d toyota 4x4 which was okay in sand,and feul consumption was 10.5 average Tar(140kmh for a distance of 520km) gravel(50kmh for a distance of 600km)and sand(40kmh 4x4 for a distance of 50km) Power was a bit on the down side,but overall I could live with it. Lucky you have low range.

The 3 litre is apparently better in all respects, including real life fuel consumption?

Modern Isuzu's are a lot better than the older ones, which really did suffer from typical diesel clatter.

Although the one friend we've got with an Isuzu didn't have a positive experience with the thing, it was in the workshop more often than not. Or that's what it felt like. But it's also not the very latest model, and you do always get duds anyway.

I'll be looking at 2nd hand 1 year old. 2011 models with about 16 000 on the clock, the fortuna is R379k and the pajero sport R389k so not much in it price wise.

Been lots of talk over the years about the fortuna falling over and apparantly Toyota have changed tyre size and worked on the suspension. I guess if you going to drive like a ....... then it could fall over..

The Pajero Sport is 2 wheel or 4 wheel drive whereas the Fortuna is permanent 4 wheel drive either 4H or 4L.

I have not taken them for a test yet. Looked at the Fortuna but didn't have time to take it for a spin. Thursdays the day for that. The Pajero Sport appear to be like hens teeth. Not many 2nd hand and even Mitsubishi don't have a model on the floor.

The Fortuna is manual whereas the Paj Sport auto, been driving auto's for a while now and have become lazy!!

By the way, the Paj Sport will be launched in a manual in the very near future!!

Anyone had issues with stability of the Fortuna on dirt roads, I guess the 4x4 model should be far more stable anyway.